Teen Hikers Say Google Maps Got Them Lost On NH Mountain

RUMNEY, N.H. (CBS) – Three teenage hikers had to be rescued in New Hampshire Sunday night after an app led them the wrong way up a mountain.

A spokesperson for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department told WBZ-TV the hikers used Google Maps on a cell phone to try and find a way to ascend Rattlesnake Mountain Sunday afternoon.

“The app. sent them to the wrong parking lot and trails, and instead of taking the main trail, the hikers bushwhacked through the woods attempting to reach the summit,” the agency said in a statement Monday.

“When the terrain became too steep, and darkness fell, they called for assistance.”

Rescuers had to descend near steep cliffs off-trail in the darkness to reach the hikers. They were helped down the mountain and reached the trail-head at about 8:30 p.m., more than six hours after their journey began.

The hikers, identified as Haley Whitehouse of Somersworth N.H., Baily Ryan of Middlebury Vermont, and Allison White of Weybridge, Vermont, all age 18, were not seriously hurt.

The Fish and Game spokesperson said the incident is a reminder that there’s no substitute for a good trail map.